Follow along with our blogger, Aarti Sanan, who will be writing about her own journey to zip-up-day during REDBOOK's Wedding Dress Challenge.

You are cordially invited to get your bride body back with REDBOOK'sWedding Dress Challenge! With our team, online tools, and advice, you'll be zipping up that gown by June! Follow along with our blogger, Aarti Sanan, who will be writing about her own journey to zip-up-day during the Wedding Dress Challenge.

Some people get their dream wedding, I'm still dreaming of mine. On the bright side, while I may have missed out on a great wedding, I did end up with a great marriage story. When I arrived in New York on September 9, 2001 (my first-ever trip to the US from India) to visit my then-boyfriend of less than two months, I was planning on breaking up with him. I had a life back home, and long distance dating simply did not appeal to me. Then, 9/11 happened two days after I got here. It was a time of grasping hold of whatever seemed real. People did irrational things... I got married.

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Since our wedding was unplanned, we didn't have rings, vows, or the usual outfits you spend months thinking about. My husband sweated it out in his one interview suit, and I threw on a $25 dress—the only new thing in my suitcase. After all, this was just the court wedding. I knew we would have a big Indian wedding a few months later, and I could wear my dream outfit. We didn't account for our parents to be so angry they would refuse to pay for a wedding, and we were too broke to throw ourselves any sort of shindig. Plus we were young and in New York, who needed a wedding?

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Since we married young, we waited a while before having kids. But when we were ready, the universe wasn't. Three years of fertility treatments, lots of mood swings, and tons of extra hormonal weight later, we had our daughter. It was a scary pregnancy, and she was plagued with health issues that consumed me. My grand plan of losing all the pregnancy weight with yoga and workouts never materialized.

Then, out of nowhere, I got pregnant again. My little surprise was born 11 months ago. Both my kids are underweight, but I am about 25 pounds heavier than I need to be. My endocrinologist told me I'm on the fast track to diabetes.

I cheered myself up after hearing this news with two scones. Like most women I use food as a crutch. When I'm depressed I eat to feel better; when I'm happy I celebrate with an extra treat. I've always loved food, to the point where I went to culinary school to learn everything I wanted to know about it. I love to cook, and I love to eat. Ironically I seem to be the only one in my household doing the eating.

I have made half-hearted attempts at working out or mommy and me yoga but I have no self-discipline. But with my tenth anniversary coming up, I'm ready to take charge and lose weight for the vow renewal ceremony my husband and I are planning.

For us, it means more than the wedding we never had. It is an acknowledgment of how far we have come. I want to go back to that day 10 years ago when we owned the world. I want to be healthy, fit, and in control.